DOVER — The days of enjoying a game or rivalry unfold with friends and classmates under the Friday night lights at Dunaway Field at Dover High School may be numbered after a proposal raised by a member of the School Board Monday evening.

Board member Paul Butler, a retired physician, stated his concerns related to the effects of concussions suffered by football players during the game and shared what he feels is the duty of the "governors of the school district," ending the game of football altogether before lawsuits and lawyers require the district to do so.

He said no matter how much a coach attempts to teach a youngster to tackle, they will likely still aim with their head when they do so against an opponent.

And part of the problem, he said, lies in the gear designed to protect a player from head injuries, the helmet.

Butler said the brain, which he described as being made of a Jello-like material, will collide with the helmet, something that continues to be manufactured out of a harder material and provides less cushioning for the brain.

"I know I'm not going to win a lot of friends with this," he said of the idea to end football in the Garrison City.

He said the literature supporting the harmful effects of a concussion incurred during football is striking, with some professional league players having possibly committed suicide after struggling with the depression and homelessness that a concussion has been shown to be linked to.

He encouraged people to look into the work of Chris Nowinski, a former Harvard University football player turned wrestler who had some concussions throughout his career and went on to start a brain trauma research facility with Boston University.

Butler said some players who commit suicide have requested that after their death their brains be examined to see what the more severe impact of a concussion or multiple concussions is to the brain. He said this is sometimes far more telling than what can be seen from an MRI or CT scan.

While the subject was not discussed further at the meeting, Butler said he knows ending football could be a long process and does not expect to be met with immediate support from the community.

"I think it's the moral thing to do, the ethical thing to do to try to stop football at Dover High School and throughout Dover," Butler said.